Always you (A Catching Feelings sequel)

Chapter 12

Steve couldn't contain his excitement, as he was finally going to see Tiana again. It felt as if it had been forever since had seen her. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms once again. His smile grew wider as he neared the destination, even though it was pouring and the roads had become increasingly difficult to see, his smile remained unwavering. The most important thing was that he was going to see Tiana, that kept him going.

Finally reaching his destination, he took in awe at the magnificent place around him. He was in awe of the view of the breathtaking mountains that surrounded the hotel. Tiana really knows how to choose a place. He smiled to himself. The rain continued pouring as he struggled to find his way around the hotel. He went up to reception requesting Tiana's room number, but to his surprise, they didn't want to provide him with that information. He knew it was because of privacy and safety reasons but he told them she was expecting him. They eventually had to phone her room and ask her if she was expecting any guests. She reassured them that she was and only then did they provide him with her room number.

After running around the hotel for a few minutes, he eventually found himself standing in front of her door. His confidence instantly disappeared. He then thought to himself that it was a huge mistake for him to be here. What was he going to say to her? He realised that he should have thought this through a lot more. He wanted to turn around and leave as if nothing had happened. He also drove all the way here, he couldn't back down now, no matter how awkward and uncomfortable he was. He was here for Tiana. It was now or never.

***

Tiana sat anxiously on her bed, waiting for Steve to arrive. She didn't know what she was going to say to him. Why did I agree to see him? She thought to herself. She knew the answer to her question. It was because she missed him and she wanted to see him again. She missed the way he made her feel better after a long hard day. She missed his forehead kisses during a tender moment. The way he pulled her into his arms when they were falling off to sleep. She missed all the little things about him. Her heart couldn't help but pound with anticipation, knowing she was going to see him soon.

She heard a quick knock on the door, she began to pound rapidly. She walked up to the door, gulping nervously. She opened the door to find Steve, soaked in the rain. She couldn't help but check him out as his clothes clung to his body, accentuating his muscles and abs. It took her a moment to meet his eyes. "Enjoying the view, huh?" He teased, grinning mischievously. Tiana caught herself. "No. I was just worried that you must be cold because you are drenched from the rain" She said, defensively. "Uh-huh." Steve retorted, not believing her. She realised he was still standing outside, she moved out the way to let him in. "Here is a towel to dry yourself off. I'm just going to try and find something for you to

"Thank you." He replied as he shook off his wet hair.

. She then went to find something for him to wear. She rummaged through her luggage, unsure what she could find for him to wear. She packed a few warm clothes but none of which would fit Steve. She was about to give up when she came across one of Steve's sweaters. It was her favourite one she loved to borrow. She didn't realise that she had packed it. She returned to him with the sweater in her hand. She noticed immediately that he was shirtless, she immediately looked away, not wanting to show him her weakness. "Luckily, I accidentally packed this sweater." She said, her eyes still turning away from him. "Ah. Your favourite sweater." He grinned as he put it on. Only then was she able to look at him again. "I see you didn't make the same mistake as earlier." He chuckled, noticing her awkwardness. "Yeah." She said sheepishly, unable to meet his eyes.

"Anyway, why did you come all the way here to talk to me?" She asked, folding her arms.

"So straightforward, huh? That's why I love you." He smiled. She glared at him as she cleared her throat impatiently. "Sorry." He apologised, feeling awkward. "Tiana, I know I made a huge mistake by not telling you the truth. It was stupid of me not to do so. Even Bucky and Nat had warned me -" "Wait, so you're telling me they told you to tell the truth but you still ignored them anyway?" Tiana interrupted, feeling her anger rising. He looked away from her, ashamed of the way he acted. He just nodded in response. She let out an exasperated sigh. He continued on. "I know I made a mistake but I did it to protect you. I promise that is the only reason why I did it. I never wanted to hurt you in any way. I'm truly sorry that I did." He said, voice cracking. "If you wanted to protect me then you would have told me the truth." She said, disappointed.

"I know. If I could go back in time, I would have done things differently. I sincerely apologise for hurting you. I love you so much. You mean so much to me. I don't want to lose you. Will you forgive me?" He begged. Tiana could see how much pain he was in and she knew he had no malicious intent and that he only wanted to protect her. It just hurt her that he never told her the truth and continued to lie to her. She wasn't sure if she could forgive him just yet. She still felt so betrayed by the one person she trusted the most. She wasn't sure if she could trust him again.

This was all too painful to deal with right now. That is why she wanted to get away from everything from him. Now he was standing in front of her, begging her forgiveness and she didn't know what to do. There was a part of her that wanted to run into his arms and forgive so they can be together with him but the other part of her was cautious, unsure if she should get back together with him.

"Just give me some time to process everything. I still don't know what to do." She managed to say. "I understand," Steve responded, disappointed with her response. He was hoping she would forgive him. He hated that she disliked him so much at the moment. It was the worst feeling. "So what now?" Tiana asked, feeling awkward. "I don't know. To be honest I was hoping to win you over with my speech and that we would be back together." He said, rubbing the back of his head. Tiana laughed, she found it funny that he thought he could just win her over with a speech. It was also adorable. She knew she couldn't kick him out. To be honest, she didn't want to. She didn't want him to leave yet.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's just that I can't believe that you drove all the way here in the pouring rain, thinking that I would forgive you immediately after one speech. It's so ridiculous and adorable. You're so innocent sometimes." She continued laughing. Steve started laughing as well. At least she isn't mad at me. He thought to himself. "You can stay the night but only tonight. You have to leave tomorrow. This weekend was for me to rejuvenate and be by myself." She told him. Steve nodded. "I'll sleep on the floor then." He said, getting a pillow from the bed. "Don't be ridiculous, you can sleep on the bed with me. It's too cold to be sleeping on the floor. " Tiana said, picking up the pillow from the floor. "I just thought you wouldn't want to sleep next to me right now." He explained. "Just because we broke up doesn't mean we can't share a bed. We're adults. We don't have to make it a huge deal." She said to him.

To be honest, she really missed sleeping with him. Of course, she wouldn't admit it. She just needed him close to her. She realised how she felt towards him., it made her cringe at herself. She couldn't believe how vulnerable she was when it came to Steve. The truth was he almost won her over with her speech. Almost. It was her pride that didn't give in that easily. She wished she could hate him but she couldn't. She loved him so much.

She slipped under the covers and Steve followed soon after. They were both so close to one another. She bit her lip, nervously. She wanted him to pull her closer. She wanted to feel embraced by him. She wanted to be enveloped in his warmth. She just wanted him. As if reading her mind, he gently pulled her closer to him. "Do you mind if we sleep like this? I haven't been able to sleep without you. This is the only way I can sleep now." He whispered in her ear. "It's okay. I also couldn't sleep without you either." She responded, feeling at ease.

She suddenly felt all of her anxiety and frustration disappear. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't felt this calm since when they broke up. It felt nice. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way. She shouldn't have let him this close but she couldn't help but give in to her emotions. She knew she was going to regret it in the morning. At this moment, it was everything she needed. She was happy again.